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If you’re an Evolution listener, then chances are good you are also an enjoyer of good music. If this is the case, then you should be pleased to know that the Vancouver International Jazz Festival is happening at the end of June! The festival is taking place from Friday, June 23 to Sunday, July 2nd, specifically, at a bunch of different locations across Vancouver. It’s nice that the performances are taking place at various locations throughout the city, I feel like it makes the festival a lot more accessible and way less crowded than packing everyone into one fairground. There are TONS of artists on the lineup, despite the event only lasting just a little over a week, they’ve got so many amazing performers this year. Even if you’re not a certified Jazz Fan, the festival isn’t just like a bunch of jazz cats sitting in a cafe playing dissonant 16-minute long piano solos, it goes way beyond that! There are artists playing in different genres, and it really is just about celebrating how awesome music is. The festival is hosted by Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, by the way, which is a community-based, not-for-profit organization in Vancouver dedicated to the appreciation of Jazz and music in general as a special art form!
If you want to contribute, the festival has lots and lots of volunteer opportunities available for anyone interested. They ask that you do a minimum of 12 hours of volunteering, but in exchange you get early access to shows, a t-shirt, AND, the best part–a volunteer appreciation party! I’ve always really loved volunteering at events like this because it fosters a sense of manufactured authority that can only be achieved by having kind of a low-level of responsibility, but still being able to lord over others, particularly people who are on the same level as me. Anyway, you can sign up to volunteer through their website if that’s something you wanna do!
The Coastal Jazz and Blues Society also offers free public workshops as some programs for high school students, so they’re all about education!
I sadly won’t be in Vancouver during the festival, so I’m going to sit this one out. But if I was here, I would definitely wanna go, because I do consider myself a fan of Jazz. But if you have the privilege of being IN Vancouver or around the area, I recommend watching out for any cool artists you might wanna see and go to the festival!